HappeningThe most comfortable month for walking, with mild days and cool nights. Storms are less common, and the Bricktown canal and the gardens are good in the evening. Check ahead for event dates.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
Arrival day
Before Day 1. Tulsa comes first and Oklahoma City second, so a car is the easy way to link them.Details
Flying in
Tulsa International Airport is on the north side of the city, a short drive from downtown. A rideshare or a rental car both work. If you fly in or out of Oklahoma City instead, run the trip in the other direction and check the order of the days.
A car helps
Downtown Tulsa and downtown Oklahoma City are each walkable in parts, but the museums, the whale and the road west are spread out. A car makes the four days simple. The two cities are a drive apart, so check the road and the weather before you set off on Day 3.
Weather in Oklahoma
Spring brings storms and tornado warnings, summer is hot and humid, and winter can bring ice. Pack for the season, keep a weather alert on your phone, and carry water in warm months. Dress in layers in the cool months.
Day 1 starts south of downtown
Day 1 begins at an art museum in the south of Tulsa, so settle in downtown, then take an easy evening walk, or rest after the trip.
How much walking? On foot, about 0.8 to 2.3 miles a day, and 406.7 miles by car in all across 3 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
Day 1. Downtown Tulsa and the Arts District and Gilcrease and the east of Tulsa
6 stops · 2.3 mi on foot, 32.0 mi by car
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningIndoor
Philbrook Museum of Art
An art museum in a former villa of the 1920s, the home of the oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve, with formal gardens around it. It shows art from many parts of the world, and its cornerstone collection is Native American art, with baskets, pottery, paintings and jewelry. Check ahead on the opening.
Go whenMorning, then the gardens when the sun is soft.
Local tip Start with the Native American collection, which is the cornerstone, then walk out to the terrace and the formal gardens behind the villa. Check ahead on the opening.
A historic neighborhood of Tulsa, one of the most prominent concentrations of African-American businesses in the United States in the early 1900s, popularly known as Black Wall Street. In 1921 a white mob attacked and burned the district in the Tulsa race massacre, and between 75 and 300 Black Americans were killed. The Greenwood Rising History Center, on Greenwood Avenue at Archer Street, tells the story in four galleries. Go slowly, keep your voice low, and check ahead on the opening.
Go whenMorning, with time to spare.
Local tip Begin at the Greenwood Rising History Center to understand the story, then walk Greenwood Avenue and the reconciliation park. This is a place of loss and of rebuilding, so keep your voice low and your phone away from the memorials. Check ahead on the opening.
A burger in which thinly sliced onions are pressed into the beef as it cooks on the griddle, so they soften and caramelize into the meat, a style tied to Oklahoma.
Local tip Add pickles and mustard, and eat it while it is hot.
About 25 min walk1.2 mi
3
MiddayIndoor
Boston Avenue Methodist Church
A church in downtown Tulsa with a tall tower in the Art Deco style, designed in the 1920s and credited to Adah Robinson and Bruce Goff. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1999. It is a working church, so stay quiet inside and check ahead on whether visitors may go in.
Go whenMidday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Stand outside and look up the tower first, then ask whether you can go in. It is a working church, so stay quiet, and look for the praying hands that return through the design.
A museum and archive to the life of the folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie, in the Tulsa Arts District. It shows his instruments, drawings, notebooks and handwritten lyrics, with a short film and recordings. Check ahead on the opening.
Go whenAfternoon, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Look for the notebooks and the handwritten lyrics, and listen to the recordings. The archive is partly visible through windows. Check ahead on the opening and on any music events.
A whale of iron and concrete beside a pond in Catoosa, built in the early 1970s by Hugh Davis as a gift for his wife Zelta, who collected whale figurines. It has become a well-known stop on old Route 66. Swimming is no longer allowed, but you can walk the picnic area. Check ahead on the visitor center.
Go whenLate afternoon (about 6:48 PM), when the light is soft.
Local tip A roadside stop on old Route 66, with a picnic area. Walk around the whale, but swimming is not allowed. Check ahead on the visitor center and keep clear of the road.
A historic office tower on South Boston Avenue, said to be an example of neo-Gothic and Art Deco architecture. Look up at the upper floors from the street, since it is still a working building.
Go whenAfternoon, from the street.
Local tip It is a working office and apartment tower, so look at the front and the upper floors from the sidewalk rather than expecting to go in. It makes a short stop on a walk downtown.
A thin cut of beef, breaded and fried like chicken, and served covered in a white pepper gravy with mashed potatoes, a plate common across the plains.
Local tip Order the gravy over the steak and the potatoes.
If it rains. Philbrook Museum of Art, Boston Avenue Methodist Church and Woody Guthrie Center are covered, so keep them. Move Greenwood District, Blue Whale of Catoosa and Philtower Building to a dry day if you can.
Day 2. Downtown Oklahoma City and Gilcrease and the east of Tulsa
5 stops · 0.8 mi on foot, 291.6 mi by carAbout 6 h 49 min driving
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Drive from Philtower BuildingAbout 2 h 17 min by car97.7 mi
Where Day 1 ended.
1
MiddayBook ahead
Oklahoma City National Memorial
A memorial and museum on the site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which honors those killed, the survivors and the rescuers of the bombing of April 19, 1995. One hundred and sixty-eight empty chairs stand in rows, one for each person who died, beside a reflecting pool and an elm called the Survivor Tree. Go slowly, keep your voice low, and check ahead on the museum.
Go whenMorning, with time to spare.
Local tip Walk the Field of Empty Chairs and sit by the reflecting pool. A quiet visit is the respectful one, so keep your voice low. The museum shares the story; check ahead on the opening and on timed entry.
A museum northwest of downtown, founded by Thomas Gilcrease, a Muscogee Creek oilman. It is said to hold the largest collection of art of the American West in the world, with work by Frederic Remington, Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, and art and artifacts from Central and South America. Check ahead on the opening.
Go whenMidday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip It holds a large collection, so choose the rooms that catch your eye, such as the Western landscapes. Check ahead on the opening and on the gardens.
Fry bread, a flat round of dough fried until puffed, topped like a taco with beans, meat, lettuce, tomato and cheese. Fry bread has roots in the Native nations of the Southwest and of Oklahoma, and many families make it as part of their food traditions.
Local tip Eat it with a fork at first, since it is a heavy plate, and ask what the cook calls it.
About 2 h 16 min by car97.1 mi
3
MiddayIndoor
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
An art museum in the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center downtown. It holds one of the largest collections of Chihuly glass, with a tower of glass 55 feet high in the atrium, and shows traveling exhibitions. Check ahead on the opening.
Go whenMidday, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Look up at the tower of glass in the atrium by Dale Chihuly, then pick your rooms. Check ahead on the exhibits, since they change.
A botanical garden of 15 acres in the downtown district, with the Crystal Bridge Conservatory and outdoor grounds to walk. A calm break after the memorial and the museum, and check ahead on the conservatory.
Go whenAfternoon, under the trees.
Local tip A green break after the memorial and the museum. Walk the outdoor grounds, and check ahead on the Crystal Bridge Conservatory.
An entertainment district just east of downtown, once a major warehouse district, with a canal that runs for a mile through it, lined with trees. Walk the canal in the evening light, and look at the brick buildings.
Go whenEvening (about 6:48 PM), when the canal is lit.
Local tip Walk the whole mile of the canal under the trees, and look at the old brick warehouses, now cafes, shops and a ballpark. It is lively on game and event nights.
Beef braised slowly with carrots and potatoes until it falls apart, then a slice of pecan pie, a sticky, sweet pie of pecans in a syrup of eggs and sugar, to end the day.
Local tip Share a slice of the pie, since it is rich.
If it rains. Gilcrease Museum and Oklahoma City Museum of Art are covered, so keep them. Move Oklahoma City National Memorial, Myriad Botanical Gardens and Bricktown to a dry day if you can.
Day 3. West of Oklahoma City on Route 66
1 stop · 83.2 mi by car
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Drive from BricktownAbout 1 h 59 min by car83.2 mi
Where Day 2 ended.
1
AfternoonIndoor
Oklahoma Route 66 Museum
A museum in Clinton about the history and the culture of Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica. It is said to be the largest museum given to the road. Check ahead on the opening and plan the drive back to Oklahoma City.
Go whenAfternoon, as an indoor stop.
Local tip Follow the road from Chicago to Santa Monica through the decades. It is one of several Route 66 museums, so check ahead on the opening and leave time for the drive back.
If it rains. Everything today is indoors, so rain does not change the plan.
Departure day
After the last day. Oklahoma City has the airport for this plan, and a long drive back to Tulsa is the other choice.Details
Leaving from Oklahoma City
Will Rogers World Airport is on the south-west side of Oklahoma City, a short drive from downtown. Leave time for security and for the rental car return, and check the drop-off rules if you rented in Tulsa.
Driving back to Tulsa
If you fly home from Tulsa, plan the drive east the evening before or on the last morning, and check the road and the weather first. It is a drive, not a short hop, so do not cut the time fine.
If you have a few hours
Take one more walk along the canal in Bricktown, or sit in the gardens near the memorial and take it in. Both are easy to reach from downtown Oklahoma City.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to visit Tulsa?
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, March to April and October to November are the most comfortable months for walking around Tulsa. This plan is built for october, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
How many days does this plan cover?
It covers 3 days in Tulsa, planned for october. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
Who is this plan for?
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
Is anything on this plan booked?
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Can I plan my own days like this?
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Can I change this plan?
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
How much walking is there?
On foot, about 0.8 to 2.3 miles a day, and 406.7 miles by car in all across 3 days. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
3 days of tallgrass prairie and a river city in KansasAbout 140 miles awayAn easy add-on
4 days of hot springs, lakes and the OzarksAbout 200 miles away
4 days of jazz and a night out in two Missouri citiesAbout 320 miles away
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